maryland but maryland's most powerful doppler radar, you can see now skies have cleared off a little bit. we still have heavy rain out towards hagerstown. some may creep into frederick, maybe even carroll county. what we're really watching is further south, take a look at the lower part of your screen. you see those heavy downpours there across north carolina, extending up into virginia. that cluster of heavy rain on its way to us and so we're going to keep the flood threat going into the evening. 70s, rain still a flood watch through tomorrow morning. and again some of these downpours as they move in out of the south may be pretty heavy. much more on this and a look ahead towards next weekend, coming up. long before the flood warnings and watches came into effect western high school in north baltimore was forced to close because of flooding in the school. workers arrived and found a few rooms damaged from the overnight rains. the damage was minor and they expect to have everything all cleaned up so school can resume tomorrow morning. the other big story, the

latest on the building collapse in west baltimore we told you about at 5:00. city rescue crews are still at the scene of druid hill avenue and laurens streets. around 3:30 this afternoon crews got a call a two-story building collapsed. police received initial reports that a woman bystander was standing near the building when it came down. a thermal imaging reader was used to confirm it but so far nothing has been found. investigators don't know what caused the building to come down. >> a little difficult for us to say at this point. could very well have been contributed to the weather. it could also be contributed to some structural integrity. we don't know but a building inspector is on site, they have more expertise. so they can identify what may have caused the collapse. >> right now crews are bringing in the heavy equipment to help tear down the rest of the building and remove some of that heavier debris from the scene. a jury in california convicted a man in a drunk driving death of angels pitcher

and maryland native nick adenhart and two others. andrew gallo was found guilty of a hit-and-run and driving under the influence of alcohol. adenhart, courtney stewart and henry pearson all died in the crash. another passenger was severely injured. prosecutors say gallo, whose blood alcohol was nearly three times the legal limit spent hours drinking beers and doing shots before the crash. gallo faces more than 50 years in prison. come friday it will be illegal in the state of maryland to talk on your cell phone while driving. many of us will need a hands-free device beginning october 1st. and as abc2 news bryan constitution -- brian kuebler reports, many got the message. >> reporter: whether you believe the new law is a blessing. >> talking and texting on a cell phone is irresponsible. and wrong. and i'm delighted, absolutely delighted. >> reporter: or an inconvenience. any one in the state of maryland who chooses to use

their cell phone while driving will need a hands-free device by this friday. and at local electronics stores there's no shortage of people lining up to comply. >> thank you. >> reporter: here at the best buy in lutherville there's been a run on bluetooth devices. this past weekend in particular managers say they were swamped with people picking up the technology to legally stay connected while driving. >> more people drive and commute, the more people realize distracted driving and don't want to be one of the statistics. and the quality of the technology is also getting better. >> reporter: the statistics are grim. according to the state of maryland, nearly 400 people died on maryland roads in the last five years because of distracted driving. a stat authorities believe can be prevented in part by using hands-free devices. it will be the law come october 1st. and the state highway administration will unveil its awareness campaign tuesday, special electronic devices

alerting drivers of the law will start appearing this week, all in an effort to change the culture and the state believes save lives. in baltimore, brian kuebler, abc2 news. talking on a cell phone while driving will be a secondary offense. meaning you can't be pulled over just because you're on the phone. however, though, if found guilty of not using a hands-free device you could face points on your license and upwards of $100 in fines. tonight, baltimore county police are trying to determine who stabbed a man at security mall this morning. around 11:00 police responded to the 6900 block of security boulevard where they found a man suffering from a stab wound in the back. witnesses say the victim is a student at the north america trade school at the mall. police are investigating whether the suspect was also a student at the trade school. they are using surveillance cameras from inside the mall to learn more about the attack. the victim was taken to shock trauma for his injuries with no word on his condition tonight.

today, a man who beat a 77-year-old african-american fisherman to death and stole his suv a year ago has received a 31-year prison sentence. jeff hager has details on the plea agreement for the hate crime. in >> reporter: like many fisherman in form armistead park james privott finished casting his lines, packing up to head home with his wife when three men approached. 28-year-old calvin lockner beat him about the head with a stick and stole his chevy tahoe, unaware it was equipped with low jack which would lead police to his door. the self-professed white supremacist who idolized adolf hitler later told police he didn't like black people. now he's learned the punishment for the hate crime. >> judge williams sentenced calvin lockner to the 31 years in prison today. >> reporter: a spokesman for the state's attorney's office, says 30 years is the penal for the carjacking. which will run concurrently

with convictions for the assault and hate crime. lockner will serve an additional year for assaulting a correctional officer. throwing a cup filled with urine and feces into his face while he was behind bars. the victim of the beating suffered a fractured eye socket, temporary blindness and missing teeth. but survived the attack. >> there was a statement read in court this morning by the defendant's attorney in which he did express some regret. he asked for forgiveness through the written statement read by his attorney. asking for forgiveness, asking that, hoping his life could be turned around and asking -- and hoping i guess that mr. james privott' life can continue in a peaceful manner. you can take it for what it is worth. >> reporter: another defendant, zachary watson had hays trial postponed because his attorney is tied up with the ongoing trial for three men accused of killing former city ken

-- councilman ken harris. again, james privott survived the attack. prosecutors didn't pursue an attempted murder charges against lockner in part because the victim was able to walk almost a mile to seek help after the attack. republican gubernatorial candidate bob ehrlich launched his first attack ad in the race for the maryland next governor and it's a topic near and dear to voters, bge rate hikes. ehrlich points the finger at current governor martin o'malley for failing to deliver on a 2006 campaign pledge to prevent an expected 72% increase in electricity bills. last week ehrlich stressed the importance of the upbeat and positive tone on the campaign trail. the o'malley camp hasn't yet responded to the ad. two of the country's largest low fare airlines are becoming one. southwest buying airtran.

when it comes to bwi marshall airport southwest is the largest carrier, airtran is the second. you guard your personal information as best you can. but tonight, find out how scammers are trying to get the most important piece of information that you have. day in and day out, parents pack their kids' lunch and admit it, sometimes it gets boring we've got tips to liven up your kids' lunch and have them begging for more good food. >> on the weather front, 77 at bwi marshall today. a warm day, more than an inch of rain there. many spots getting more than that. 72 is the guarantee. no weather winner today, but a lot of rain still coming up.

it's one of the most guarded pieces of information that you have. your social security number. in tonight's "scam alert" joce sterman reports on how scammers found a way to get you to give out that social security number. by posing as the agency that provides the numbers. >> reporter: scammers have no problem playing a role if it means they can get their hands oon your information. in other "scam alerts" we've shown you how they stepped into the shoes of president obama, the irs, even the federal trade commission. but now scammers are acting like the reps from another agency, the social security administration. the ssa web site says they've been getting reports about people being contacted by someone claiming to be an employee of the agency. the scammers use different tactics in their calls. sometimes claiming the ssa

computers are down and they need your social security number and other information. some also try mentioning enrollment in the medicare drug program. their goal is to steal your identity or your money. that is why the ssa says you should verify the call by contacting your local social security office or by calling their toll free hotline. and never give your social security number or other important information over the phone because with information this sensitive it's unlikely uncle sam is making a house call. joce sterman, abc2 news. >> it's really scary. the hospitalline she mentioned is 1-800-772-1213. keep in mind, the social security administration is investigating claims of scams like this. if you get a call from someone who seems kind of shady they are asking that you get the caller's alleged name, number, the time and date of the call and the information they wanted. you can fill out a fraud report on the agency's web site. we posted a link on our "scam alert" page, you will find that on abc2news.com.

you've seen the license plates and soon you'll see the coins commemorating the war of 1812. kids, listen up, you can now get involved in the coin's design, too. in the effort to honor fort mchenry and the critical role maryland played in the growth of our young nation a star spangled banner commemorative coin is being minted. maryland lawmakers who spearheaded the bill are asking area kids to submit their design ideas for the coins by centennial commission in 2012. >> the coin absolutely is critical to helping marylanders and the commission realize the vision of the war of 1812 as this one-time chance. it was said before, you only have one 200th birthday. it's our one-time chance to elevate maryland globally as a premiere location to live and visit, for educational purposes, celebrate our heritage but also to increase economic opportunities for marylanders. that is very much what this is about. >> the star spangled banner commemorative coin is being

minted in coordination with the 200th anniversary of the war. "think pink" week at the station. we're wearing pink and hoping the weather on sunday for the big race for the cure will be much better than today. >> early indications, and it's still six days out will be that it will be, probably cooler, more fall-like. if you've been waiting for fall it looks like it arrives by the second half of the weekend. it will be nice. in the meantime, muggy and very wet out there. >> sticky. >> wet weather scenario. say that 10 times. >> i won't. i'll leave that to you. >> maryland's most powerful doppler radar, we're going to get a break in the action now but unfortunately we think it won't last that much longer. where's the action now? at the moment at least it's here in western maryland. from hagerstown southward back through areas in the northern virginia, just west of the dc area. west of rockville to be specific. but, much more rain beginning

to develop here, and we're picking up it on maryland's most powerful doppler radar. heavy showers and storms down here into southern virginia. just inland of another funk and back into -- norfolk and back into parts of eastern carolina, unbelievable deluges of rain. that same wet weather tracking due north, really more northeast of north. the heaviest of this may in fact impact the eastern shore as opposed to central and western maryland but it's in central maryland where we have the flood watch. let's look now downtown. looking good. dry, 74. humidity high. uncomfortably so. it's muggy out there. winds southeast around 5 to 10. rain totals have been very high today. not so much right along the immediate chesapeake though we have a coastal flood advisory in these, these areas. rockville, more than an inch, in many cases pushing more than two inches. mount airy may have gotten two inches today as well as well as

manchester. in the heavy downpours we had earlier this afternoon. so they were heavy. temperaturewise, mid-70s now. we'll float around 70 degrees through the overnight. muggy conditions, humidity close to 90% right now. that stifling and the moisture level dew points up around 70, even 75 over here in easton. to so a, tremendous amount of moisture in the air. that can help fuel the showers and storms. as we look to the south, again, already seeing some light-to-moderate rain moving up into calvert county, southern maryland, that is on its way up into the baltimore area. we're getting a break now. make that run to the store because as we go into the next few hours we expect more heavy rain to trudge in out of the south. you can see the culprittings giant area of low pressure stalled out over western north carolina. just surging the moisture, showers and storms right into maryland here. so we're going to keep that going. the forecast model keeps the rain around tonight, this is 7:00 tomorrow morning, may still be a wet commute. finally the showers clear out by tomorrow afternoon. so that flood watch expires

mid-morning tomorrow and and into wednesday a dry start but looks like more rain may come from the south wednesday night into thursday morning. overnight, 69. rain with a flood watch. some of those downpours will be heavy at times. 2-degree guarantee tomorrow 79. scattered showers and maybe a thundershower in the mix. tomorrow night we finally begin to dry out and get much cooler as we go down to around 57 or so. that will be an improvement. 7-day forecast, the trend, again, temperatures will stay in the mid-70s. rain on and off really through thursday midday. finally, looks like a drier pattern and much cooler. as we go towards komen sunday. looking like around mid-60s. >> thank you. coming up tonight at 11:00, feel like you're paying too much for your cell phone service? wal-mart is now offering some fairly cheap new plans but what are the catches? we'll let you know so you don't waste your money. plus, a teen boy put in handcuffs, threatened by a

uniformed police officer. why he's being grilled and what that officer could be in big trouble. at 11:00. so your kids have been in school for a few weeks but the chances are they are already tired of the lunches that you are packing for them. fear not. not only can you make lunches fun but they can also be healthy. here's susan hendricks with today's "health minute." >> move over chips and bologna. take that, prepackaged snacks. school lunches can be fun and good for you. it only takes a little imagination. >> a good feel consists of four parts. whether it's for a packed school lunch or dinner. a protein, a whole grain, a fruit or vegetable and heart-healthy oily fat or nut. there are several great snacks that you can add to your lunch box. one would be these seasonal grapes. the concord grapes are loaded with antioxidants.

these little cherry tomatoes taste like candy. slice these in half, they add beautiful color and a sweet flavor. i recommend you just cut up vegetables because when vegetables are cut up and grabbable and mixed together the children are more likely to eat them. a really fun element of any meal or salad is nuts. it's a great way to get a heart-healthy oil into your diet and into your child's diet but it's also very tasty and crunchy. then we need something to put it all in. a good insulated lunch box with an ice pack inside to keep it nice and cool. >> reporter: good healthy suggestions for healthy school year. for today's "health minute," i'm susan hendricks. a new study finds eye problems among baltimore school students often go uncorrected even though vision screenings are required by law for students in the first through eighth grades. now the report by the abel foundation says uncorrected

vision is leaving many students at a disadvantage in the classroom often leading to poor academic performance. with less than a week to go into the komen race for the cure abc2 news is paying tribute to people who are involved in the fight against breast cancer. tonight we introduce you to one of many survivors who is giving back. >> i was diagnosed with two forms of breast cancer in the spring of 2007. so i had a bilateral mass techomy in june of 2007, chemo and i'm now cancer-free. through the help komen gave me i felt i needed to pay it back. i've become a fundraiser for komen and have started fight like a girl breast cancer fundraiser at the craft fair, vendor fair, it's incredible. it brings local artists together and we raise thousands of dollars for komen. so we're starting another one. it's very exciting. old gibbs canning company.

today these factories are full of dot com businesses. and now my job is helping maryland create new economy jobs.

training new math and science teachers investing in our institutions of excellence pioneering new cyber security jobs and giving an old gm plant a jump start building electric motors. i'm barbara mikulski. i approve this message so you'll know i'm fighting for you.

four years ago, bob ehrlich got fired as governor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected tax loopholes for giant cable cable companies. then, he let utilities jack up our rates 72%. and for the last four years, he worked as a hired gun for big corporations, even a bank that took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlich sides with corporate executives again and again and again tell bob ehrlich big banks and billionares don't need help. middle class marylanders do. bob ehrlich's real record on energy. lobbyists helped write utility regulations. we got stuck with a 72% rate hike. but martin o'malley got tough on bge, forcing them to pay back $2 billion to consumers.

and what's bob ehrlich been doing the past four years? he got paid $2.5 million at a lobbying firm, a firm representing special interests and casinos right here in maryland. that's bob ehrlich-- a 72% increase for us and $2.5 million from special interests for himself. nice work, bob. stocks looked like they might mustary slight gain but a late selloff left

them in the red. the dow fell 48, nasdaq fell 11 and the s&p 500 dropped 6.5. so we need to have the umbrellas handy if we're heading out and about? >> absolutely. we still have a flood watch up for most of maryland. this is going to be through tomorrow morning and you can see why. maryland's most powerful doppler radar, some heavy rain down there into virginia and north carolina. headed our way so, lull now but expect more heavy rain tonight and more heavy rain tomorrow early in the day. we think we clear out by tomorrow afternoon. an improvement. >> definitely. >> we'll need it by then. that's it for abc2 news at 6:00. thank you for joining us. we're back at 11:00. have a great night. tax on everything you buy?

that's in andy harris' unfair tax plan. 23% sales tax. a 23% sales tax will cut my business in half. would be devastating. andy harris' 23% sales tax absolutely makes no sense. 23% sales tax would really make things unaffordable. that's too high for the average american out here. i don't know how we would manage it really. don't like that idea.

we can't afford andy harris' idea. i'm frank kratovil and i approve this message.

tonight on "world news" --